"This is it. Beyond this door, the Ring of Ark should be waiting for us."
"And, as with every treasure, there's bound to be a trap guarding it."
"Quite so."
After half an hour of walking—something Yuki found excruciating—we finally stood in front of what we presumed was the treasure room.
Even from the outside, we could tell this room was different from the others. It was illuminated and clean, unlike the dark, dusty passages we had navigated. It was also larger, about four meters tall and ten meters wide, if I'm right. At its center was a clear altar with a glass box and a cushion inside, likely where the ring was placed.
"I'm sure we're going to have to fight the armor guarding it. It's so clichéd," I remarked.
"Then I'll let you make the call. We have time, and it's time for you to take the lead on this adventure."
"Are you calling me useless?"
I didn't answer but simply looked at her.
"We could dive into the adventure and go inside, or you could stay outside and let me analyze the armors. Or, if you prefer, we could watch the episode of the anime corresponding to this place."
Despite Yuki's initial excitement, I could sense her interest starting to wane. In the Gargoyle's cave, she had been fully engaged, thrilled to obtain her Titan. But as time passed, that novelty seemed to fade.
"Are you sure? I've never done anything like this before; we could find ourselves in a tough spot..."
She smiled, but I could feel her inner turmoil. I had been guiding her throughout this adventure, and putting her in charge could weigh heavily on her. There was a chance she could make a mistake, though I was confident we wouldn't suffer any real consequences.
"Don't worry, Yuki. Whatever happens, remember your Onii-chan is strong, and we will escape alive."
She sighed with relief at my words. After all, even if we encountered something overwhelmingly powerful, we could always retreat. Exiting that world was just a thought away.
"Then try to gather some information before we enter. We can catch up on the anime another time—I also haven't seen your new house, and you were quite proud of it."
"Alright, we'll binge-watch it next time. I'll start looking at the armor now."
One limitation of my power was that because I focused exclusively on attuning it to this universe and the Hell Difficulty Tutorial, I had lost some of the perks that came with it, including the useful [Observe] skill found in the manhwa and other stories.
However, I knew a way to regain those skills, and I could possibly do so immediately.
I began to actively use my [Decryption] ability to analyze the armors and the box, quickly gathering results.
Yuki was both right and wrong. The armor was trapped, but it wouldn't animate on its own. Instead, it was enchanted to separate itself from its weapons and attack us. The armors could carry out these attacks as long as their corresponding armor remained intact.
As for the glass box, it was just that: a glass box. However, I discovered the item inside was cursed, and the curse was strong enough to latch onto nearby individuals and objects. Interestingly, this curse was also the reason why the armors were enchanted.
[Decryption Lv.33->34]
I relayed my findings to Yuki, who then decided on our next steps.
"You have way too much energy, and I'm just a mortal, so we're going to rest here before doing anything else. I'm kind of hungry, so pull out some food—I want to eat. By the way, lose the fox; I didn't rub it enough."
I handed her my small fox Titan, who was perched on my shoulder. He didn't seem upset, as he was focused on solving a 6x6 Rubik's cube and had nothing else on his mind.
I then set up some camping gear, placing a table with hot food on it.
Inventory for the win!
---
"- And that's the strategy. Are we clear?"
I nodded. After eating some pasta I had prepared beforehand and stored in my inventory, as well as taking some well-earned rest, we were ready to face the challenge.
As I mentioned before, Yuki was the one calling the shots here, and she made me proud by arranging a plan that I approved. It wasn't the best option, of course; the ideal plan would have been for me to simply enter, grab the armor, and leave while she stayed outside. However, I accepted her approach.
I had encountered the Gargoyle trap before, and while Yuki is an adrenaline junkie like me, she's more controlled and less reckless. After all, I'm the one who jumps around multiple worlds and dungeons without any issue.
"On my three… one, two, three!"
As she finished her countdown, the three of us sprinted inside. Yes, Springer was part of the plan too.
As expected, the weapons of the armor began to glow and move toward us; at first slowly, but then picking up speed. However, Yuki made a good call, and we both stopped in the center of the room, back to back, shouting at the same time, "Raypulse!"
From our hands, bolts of electrical energy formed and launched at the armors, striking true. Mine was a headshot, boosted by other skills, while Yuki's also hit its mark. Both pieces of armor started to fall apart, their pieces flying everywhere, but we weren't done yet.
Yuki took out her amulet and summoned her Titan. As a sword flew toward her, she momentarily panicked, but I was ready to help. I stepped in front of her, grabbed a spear from my inventory, and clashed with the incoming weapon while she ordered Gar-Ghoul to engage the remaining armors.
She cleverly commanded Gar-Ghoul to use his wings to strike two of the nearby armors. While his wings weren't as strong as his body, they were enough to disrupt the weapons, which stopped functioning as long as the armor was moved or had a piece removed.
As we continued to maneuver around the room, I had to assist Yuki more, while the Titans slowly dismantled the armors. I realized that the armors focused on the first threat they recognized; that's why we both cast a spell to draw their attention. Meanwhile, Springer climbed onto the armor and removed the headgear, while Gar-Ghoul, having not directly engaged with the weapons before, continued to wreak havoc, dismantling armor piece after piece with a fury I was accustomed to.
After five minutes, there were no more floating weapons, and Yuki returned her Gar-Ghoul while my Springer jumped on top of my head and started to snore.
...My questions about the Titans were starting to grow.
"Huff, we finally finished… that was exhausting... fighting for ten minutes..."
"Actually, it was just five."
"You're joking, right?"
"Nope. It's just the adrenaline and the danger in your face that makes time seem to fly by. It's the happy version of the school time dilation effect, where five minutes can feel like an hour."
This was something I had become immune to since my [Studying] skill reached max level; I don't pay much attention in class now that I know all the material.
"Anyway, since we're done, do you know what time it is?"
"It's time to loot?"
"You're damn right, it's Loot o'clock."